The Jarl wants the Vernal Key...and he forced the Red Raven to get it for him...that's the whole story, not very epic, but it looks like thge Jarl isn't very keen on icy prisons anymore. And now to my person, I'm called the Wanderer, and actually more than that I'm not...for two centuries I've travelling through Golarion now, collecting stories and meeting people.

Stories yes, but this is not a story, this is what is happening at present. Where did you come by the knowledge that the Red Raven had stolen the Vernal Key, and more particularly that he was taking it to Jarl? This theft occurred but a day ago and unless you chose to wander through these humanoid infested hills in the dark of night in a snowstorm, you obviously spoke with someone ahead of us. So, was it the Jarl? Or the Red Raven who asked you to delay and mislead us?

Hey biggie, you got talent! Oh...how I came to know of the happenings in Azurestone? I met the Red Raven just yesterday evening. He fled from you into the arms of the Jarl - strange, eh? But to understand it, you have to know one detail - the Jarl has robbed the Red Raven's wife - what a pity - but alas, now the whole story has got this heroic touch, mhm?

Jez looks very confused as she turns to her companions:
The Red Raven stole the Vernal Key, for the Jarl, but was then caught by the Jarl? And the Jarl robbed the Red Raven's wife. Perhaps I spent too much of my youth growing up with demons, but something just does not make sense in this guys story.

Oh come on...you didn't get the timeline right...The Jarl wanted the key, so he decided to steal the wife of the best thief in all of Golarion and forced him to get the key for him...now the Red Raven is on his way to bring the key to the Jarl...

"Grab key, unlock wife. Attalas can beat up the Garll. This red storyteller, what we do with him? If he live, he tell our story, then Mobo be renouned Chief." Speaking to the bard, gesturing at him with the gun, "You know where Red Bird is? How to get there?"

I'm half tempted to go "Go toe to toe with an ancient djinn and his cadre of elite giant warriors for a complete stranger and his complete stranger wife? F*%+ that! Let's go back and pillage the village."

"Oh gods I can see it now. One won't leave without the other and it will be true love and all incredibly soppy. One or the other will die and...yes almost not worht the pay. But looting the creatures vault however..."

I am half tempted to say 'Go oh glorious warrior, find out that a whole village existing at the very edge of civilization can probably clobber any not too experienced cleric to death, regardless of the blurry delusions of power he might have...'

I am half tempted to say 'Go oh glorious warrior, find out that a whole village existing at the very edge of civilization can probably clobber any not too experienced cleric to death, regardless of the blurry delusions of power he might have...'

whole village =/= handful of hardened individuals ;-). Easy to surround the blood thirsty berserk with a hundred villagers and just stone him to death, hard to bring that same one hundred villagers all the way to the Jarls castle alive.

It's hard to stone people when you're on fire. :D Anyway we're going there anyway so you can get off the hook so Ragnvald won't try to kill you for being a deceitful traitor. After that you can take the job of wrangling this bunch of psycho's since it seems Nymeria has just hid herself in her head to cry.

"This be good story. Good guys always meet strange weird-talking storyteller or dragon in disguise in good stories. Now we know about trap, unless telling us was trap. If so, then we find elf and eat his tongue so he can't tell bad stories."

As you climb the last knoll before the gorge, you can make out a mixed band of armed men in front of it. They seem to have a fiery argument - two massive bnugbears swing their maces threateningly at a slender elf and some humans while a score of goblins still seems undecided which group to follow.

The goblins have pale blue tattoos, mostly tribals on their backs and shoulders.

Knowledge Goblin stuff:

They are members of the Ice Spider Clan. They rule the mountain ridge and the the southern parts of the Boarwood...rule in this case means that their illusions of grandeur make them believe they would rule...

"These be Ice Spiders. Very strong, rule big area of ridge and Boarwood. Bugbears probably their slaves. Dunno 'bout elf though. If elf squishy we feed it to Elf-Wart." Looking over the fight, "Let's go join the fun! Ice Spiders will help us or they meet the wrong end of my ogre's sword."

The dispute falls silent as soon as Attalas' monumental figure begins to descend the hill. The bugbears look at easch other, then at the goblins, then back to Attalas and finally decide to find a new employer!

They rush over to you and before you can react begin to shout

Elf makes ambush against you! We not fight ogre lord, we serve, we help, we crush elf and eat his marrow!

The ice spider goblins seem undecided for a moment, then follow the bugbears and bump into their backs once the burly creatures stop

The really funny thing is that the module is written for a band of glorious good adventurers, so the bugbears would have every reason to kill you - but hey, that wouldn't be realistic, after all you are a wild band of mercenaries!

The bugbears looks at Attalas and return the formal greeting Oi you too! then they look back at the elf and snort He no good leader, he making only promise, pay no gold, not give meat, he bad chieftain, we follow you now! Then you are new boss, and King Mobo too...old boss, Red Bird not good, gone into gorge, will not come back - dead boss = bad boss, yes! The bugbear seems satisfied by that insight.

The goblins have meanwhile scurried past the bugbears and look at Mobo, among them are too especially disgusting females with gaunt faces and crooked noses. They are more or less naked except some ragged furs that hang around their skinny bodies

You King Mobo of Boomstick Tribe? it sounds a bit like they have already heard of you...

"So the Elf over there was the Boss?! He tell you to come kill us and then promise payment he didn't deliver?" - it seems as though Attalas is soon to make a rather brutal decision. "What you got to say there skinny?" Attalas half grunts towards the Elf.